Romance Review Roundup: Vol. 5

My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy. No compensation was provided for this review, and all opinions are my own.

One night. No one will know.

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That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts-and the last names that made them enemies.

Until the night she didn’t show up.

Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn’t have time for distractions and Livvy’s sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want…so why can’t he forget how right she feels in his bed?

Livvy didn’t come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence–and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families.

Being together might be against all the rules…but being apart is impossible.

That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts-and the last names that made them enemies.

Until the night she didn’t show up.

Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn’t have time for distractions and Livvy’s sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want…so why can’t he forget how right she feels in his bed?

Livvy didn’t come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence–and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families.

Being together might be against all the rules…but being apart is impossible.

Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler were high school sweethearts when tragedy struck, and their families – once so close – were torn apart. Even mentioning the Kanes is akin to cursing in the Chandler household, and vice versa. Yet Livvy and Nicholas have kept the spark alive: once a year, they meet up in a hotel and have sex…never discussing the past or their feelings for one another. But when Livvy moves back home, avoiding all that’s passed between them becomes near impossible.

There’s something almost Shakespearean about the level of complexity, angst, and drama between the Kane and Chandler families, and Rai pulls it off beautifully. Even though the circumstances are extreme, HATE TO WANT YOU never feels over the top or melodramatic. Normally I can’t abide an angsty romance, but this one put its hooks into me from the very first chapter. It hurts so good, y’all!

Alisha Rai has outdone herself with HATE TO WANT YOU, delivering her most compelling characters, sexiest scenes, and most engrossing plot yet. If you’re a romance reader who hasn’t discovered Rai yet, guaranteed that 2017 will be the year you do. My favourite thing about her work – including this story – is how she features women of colour who own their sexuality and emotions. Badass yet achingly vulnerable tattoo artist Livvy is one of my favourite heroines of the year, and I’m certain that her sister-in-law Sadia’s story in the sequel will be just as compelling.

My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy. No compensation was provided for this review, and all opinions are my own.

The riot grrrl and the bookworm–just the pair to get the whole town talking…

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Liam Byrd loves Halikarnassus, New York. He loves its friendliness, its nosiness, the vibrant library at the center of it all. And now that Joanna Green is home, the whole town sizzles. A rebel like her stirs up excitement, action, desire–at least in Liam.
Joanna never thought she’d have to come back to her dull, tiny fishbowl of a hometown ever again. She almost had a record deal for her all-girl rock band. She almost had it made in L.A. And then her deal went sour and her granny broke her leg . . . and now here she is, running into everybody’s favorite librarian every time she heads to a dive bar or catches up with old friends.
He has charm, he has good taste in music–and the sight of him in running shorts is dangerously distracting. But when he loves her old town and she can’t wait to check out, their new romance is surely destined for the book drop…

Liam Byrd loves Halikarnassus, New York. He loves its friendliness, its nosiness, the vibrant library at the center of it all. And now that Joanna Green is home, the whole town sizzles. A rebel like her stirs up excitement, action, desire–at least in Liam.
Joanna never thought she’d have to come back to her dull, tiny fishbowl of a hometown ever again. She almost had a record deal for her all-girl rock band. She almost had it made in L.A. And then her deal went sour and her granny broke her leg . . . and now here she is, running into everybody’s favorite librarian every time she heads to a dive bar or catches up with old friends.
He has charm, he has good taste in music–and the sight of him in running shorts is dangerously distracting. But when he loves her old town and she can’t wait to check out, their new romance is surely destined for the book drop…

I’m sad to say that FALLING FOR TROUBLE was a very disappointing read. I was expecting a cute, opposites attract romance between a small-town librarian and a slightly-reformed bad girl punk rocker. What I got was a disjointed, extremely slow-paced story that failed to conjure any chemistry at all between the lead characters. Title’s writing style didn’t work for me, but maybe people who appreciate her writing will enjoy this book more.

Joanna and Liam spent very little time together on page; in fact, I think they only had four or five scenes in the 57% of the book that I read. Is it any wonder that I felt their connection was unrealistic? How are you supposed to have a connection to someone who you’ve only met a handful of times when those interactions were primarily composed of one sentence exchanges? Because of this, I thought the moment they realize their feelings for each other felt unrealistic and forced.

To her credit, Title (a librarian herself) does a great job representing what goes on in a small-town library, from the programs and collection to the patrons. As a small-town librarian myself, I found myself nodding along and chuckling with recognition during the scenes where Liam had to navigate delicate patron interactions. Had this book been focused on Liam’s work at the library I would’ve kept reading, but as it stands, FALLING FOR TROUBLE was not a strong romance read for me.

Impossible…
Rupert Carsington, fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, is his aristocratic family’s favorite disaster.

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He is irresistibly handsome, shockingly masculine, and irretrievably reckless, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. Still, Rupert’s never met an entanglement–emotional or other–he couldn’t escape. Until now.

Outrageous…
Now he’s in Egypt, stranded in the depths of Cairo’s most infamous prison, and his only way out is accepting a beautiful widow’s dangerous proposal. Scholar Daphne Pembroke wants him to rescue her brother, who’s been kidnapped by a rival seeking a fabled treasure. Their partnership is strictly business: She’ll provide the brains, he, the brawn. Simple enough in theory.

Inevitable…
Blame it on the sun or the blazing desert heat, but as tensions flare and inhibitions melt, the most disciplined of women and the most reckless of men are about to clash in the most impossibly irresistible way.

He is irresistibly handsome, shockingly masculine, and irretrievably reckless, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. Still, Rupert’s never met an entanglement–emotional or other–he couldn’t escape. Until now.

Outrageous…
Now he’s in Egypt, stranded in the depths of Cairo’s most infamous prison, and his only way out is accepting a beautiful widow’s dangerous proposal. Scholar Daphne Pembroke wants him to rescue her brother, who’s been kidnapped by a rival seeking a fabled treasure. Their partnership is strictly business: She’ll provide the brains, he, the brawn. Simple enough in theory.

Inevitable…
Blame it on the sun or the blazing desert heat, but as tensions flare and inhibitions melt, the most disciplined of women and the most reckless of men are about to clash in the most impossibly irresistible way.

Widowed Daphne Pembroke is a brilliant linguist hell-bent on deciphering hieroglyphics in ancient Egyptian tombs. But for anyone to take her scholarly work seriously, she must pass it off as the work of her brother Miles. But when Miles is abducted as a reprisal for “his” findings, Daphne enlists the help of Mr. Rupert Carsington to get him back…an alliance that will change their lives forever.

As a die-hard fan of The Mummy, I rejoiced when I learned that Loretta Chase had written a historical romance in the same vein. Daphne and Rupert have a similar vibe to Evie and Rick, with Daphne’s bookishness and Rupert’s practicality and physical strength serving them well in a myriad of sticky situations. They trade the snarky banter bordering on flirtation that Chase is known for, and I found myself rooting for them from the beginning – despite Daphne’s tendency to treat Rupert like an imbecile.

Admittedly, I was perturbed by a few problematic offhand remarks that characters made about Egypt’s people and culture; thankfully, Daphne doesn’t condone or agree with these sentiments (i.e. that Egyptians are “barbarians” or “uncivilized”) but it still troubled me and impacted my enjoyment of the story. Much like The Mummy film, MR. IMPOSSIBLE is a fun and romantic story about foreigners fascinated by Egypt – just don’t expect any critical reflection on imperialism. Not Chase’s best but still enjoyable.

Have you read any of these romance novels? Do you like angsty romances or do you prefer low-drama ones? Let me know in the comments!

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25 thoughts on “Romance Review Roundup: Vol. 5”

Looks like a bit of mixed bags in the romance department haha. I haven’t read any Rai before but it definitely sounds like I need to check it out ASAP! Glad it was an awesome read for you! Hope your next batch of romances are all amazing!

It certainly was, haha! All over the map this time. Oh my goodness, YES! Alisha Rai is such a talented writer, and I think HATE TO WANT YOU is the best I’ve read from her so far. Thanks Cyn, fingers crossed! 🙂

I have no idea why I’m commenting on a romance roundup lol but riot grrrl and bookworm caught my eye! Too bad it was a DNF- and yeah how are they getting to know each other if they’re hardly interacting? Anyway ignore this comment ha ha 🙂

LOL well hey, as long as something caught your eye. 😉 Ugh I know, it was such a disappointment. There’s nothing more annoying than an author telling me two people are in love when we’ve barely even seen them interact.

I would like to try Alisha Rai but I’m just not sure the above is my cup of tea? But you said it wouldn’t normally be yours either so…. Romeo and Juliet is not even close to my favorite Shakespeare. It sounds like you’ve read others by her? Was this your favorite?

I also liked but didn’t love Mr. Impossible though, while I didn’t love the way Egyptians were treated there was something missing between the couple for me as well. I wanted to love it so hard!

Hmmmm, I know what you mean. Normally I am not one for angst, but something about HATE TO WANT YOU worked so well for me that I didn’t even mind it. Some of her other stuff is less angsty but definitely more sexy too (possibly erotica?). I loved A GENTLEMAN IN THE STREET, but I do think that this one is my favourite Rai book so far, and it’s also the most “romance-y” of her stuff that I’ve read.

Me too! Gah. I’m hoping that LORD OF SCOUNDRELS wasn’t a fluke for me (I’ve only read the two Chase books so far). I’ve heard good things about DUKES PREFER BLONDES, so I’m going to try that one next. Have you read any of her other work?

I was going to say, the first one sounded very Romeo and Juliet to me.
But I like angsty Romance when it’s done well! Sorry you didn’t enjoy
the second book though. I think writing style is the most difficult
thing to overlook. If you don’t like the writing, it’s really hard to
enjoy the book. As for the third one, it seems like ancient Egypt is
popping up everywhere all the sudden LOL.

Yes, there are all kinds of R&J vibes in HATE TO WANT YOU! I think it’s probably the first angsty romance I’ve ever really loved, which is a testament to how well Rai pulled it off. I couldn’t agree more Kristen: if the writing style doesn’t work for me, no amount of other good qualities will save the story. LOL too right! Seti would be pleased. 😉

Alisha Rai is going to be one of my next reads. I’m kind of planning a romance binge until I start the reading quest that Aentee has but together because that is all about the fantasy reads for me. But it does sound awesome a good level of angst and good old romance. But a DNF in romance? That’s a sign of a sucky romance and I thought it sounded cute as well! As for the Loretta Chase book, I like the idea of a book in the vein of The Mummy (I love those films!) so I will be checking that out when I get a chance. At least I know to expect a few things which will annoy.

Hooray! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it, Becky. Oooh good plan! I’m going to attempt the reading quest too, but it looks tough as nails so we’ll see how well I do on it. I’m going to try to keep to books I own for the challenge. Pray for me! Hahaha.

I know, it was honestly not good at all. I feel bad saying that but the writing just wasn’t there, and the chemistry between the MCs was non-existent. The hero’s relationship with the heroine’s grandma was more developed than it was with the actual heroine, LOL.

It wasn’t a perfect read but as a fan of The Mummy, I’m pretty certain you’ll enjoy it. There’s lots of good banter and Egypt-adventuring to be had!

Every time I see a positive review for Alisha’s book, I get so excited, because heck yes it deserves all the hype, and I want to yell at more people to pick it up. It was just amazing. I’m with you with the family dynamics being Shakespearean almost! I’m excited to see what you think of Sadia’s book. I’m positive you’re going to like it. That one explores the WOC owning their sexuality too, but also in a very different way because Sadia’s family is Pakistani-American, and she’s bisexual and Rai totally dismantles all stereotypes about women from Muslim backgrounds, which was awesome!

Aww! Falling for Trouble sounded like it would be a cute read. What a bummer it wasn’t!.
“Joanna and Liam spent very little time together on page; in fact, I think they only had four or five scenes in the 57% of the book that I read.” This pisses me off. Don’t call your book a romance if your couple is barely interacting! I read a HR like that the other day, and it annoyed me because the whole plot was supposed to be a marriage of convenience plot, but then the couple had had maybe 2 conversations by 50%. The focus was on the family, which wasn’t what I was in the mood for. -_-

The Loretta Chase book sounds like it was a better HR, though bummer about those comments about a different culture. I wish those would just disappear entirely from the book world. The rest sounds pretty great though, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

Sorry for this long essay of a comment, haha! I tend to get rambly when I see romance reviews.

Me too! I am a hardcore fan of the book. I even left a review on Amazon, which I almost never do, because I just feel like she deserves all the success haha. Did you see that Smart Bitches, Trashy Books selected it for their August book club? Sooooo cool. OMG BI HEROINE ALERT! I need it even more now. I’m really interested to learn more about Sadia’s family too, since the little we heard about them in HATE TO WANT YOU really piqued my interest. Dismantling stereotypes in romance novels is truly the best. Good for the soul AND society, haha.

Didn’t it just, though? It sounded SO cute, and I liked the cover too. I’m honestly a bit salty that it turned out to be such a letdown, haha. Yes, 100%. I feel like the story had more of a “chick lit” vibe to it than a romance one, and as I said to Becky, the hero had a more developed relationship with the heroine’s grandma than he did with her! It was pretty hilarious, actually. Bleh! That HR sounds like a major bummer. Everyone knows marriage of convenience stories need lots of “getting to know you” scenes, right?!

Me too, girl. Me too. Every story would be better without idiotic comments like that. Even knowing that stories featuring English people in Egypt are pretty much always problematic in some way (thanks, imperialism), I do really enjoy them. MR. IMPOSSIBLE was better than most in that regard, thankfully.

LOL don’t be sorry! I love receiving essay-length comments because it makes me feel less guilty for leaving them myself. 😂

Definitely check it out if you’re in the mood for a romance novel, Di. The cover is phenomenal! Sexy yet classy, and it actually represents the MCs really well too. I highly recommend HATE TO WANT YOU if you’re looking for a romance read! 🙂